Simulated sewing machine toy

ABSTRACT

Horizontal shaft with crank on one end and driving disc on other end is rotated by vertical motor output shaft engaging face of disc while crank rides in needle slot to reciprocate simulated, flat plastic needle having blunt tip.

Unite States Patent flarke er ai.

[451 Oct. 24, 1972 [54] SIMULATED SEWING MACHINE TOY 3,128,805 4/1964 Silver ..46/39 [72 Inventors: Charles D. Clarke Redondo Beach; 2,396,382 3/1946 Maibaum ..46/39 Donald C. Harding, Garden Grove, b th f C lif, Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant ExaminerJ. Q. Lever [73] Assignee. Mattel, lnc., Hawthorne, Calif. Attorney seymour S ch 01 ni ck [22] Filed: Nov. 15, 1971 21] Appl. No.: 198,903 [57] ABSTRACT Horizontal shaft with crank on one end and driving [52] US. Cl ..46/39 disc on other end is rotated by vertical motor output 51 1111.0. ..A63h 33/30 Shaft engaging face of disc While crank rides in needle 58] Field of Search ..46/39, 14 Slot to reciprocate simulated, flat Plastic needle having blunt tip.

[56] References cted 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,878,614 3/1959 Argiro et al. 46/39 so 71? 9: 56 ge if 7! i 4 B $2 3'0 0 1\ 4,6 ii 76 m a. a, I 92 I I I, fi I m 94 H U :2 111.1 me 100 9a SIMULATED SEWING MACHINE TOY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains generally to the field of sewing machine toys and more particularly to a simulated sewing machine toy of small size permitting a child-user to energize the toy in a play environment including a doll to simulate use of the sewing machine by the doll.

2. Description of the Prior Art US. Pat. No. 2,878,614 is one example of a prior art toy simulated sewing machine.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful simulated sewing machine toy exemplifying improvements over prior art sewing machine toys.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simulated sewing machine toy of small size and of such an arrangement that a child-user may simulate use of the sewing machine toy by a doll.

According to the present invention, a simulated sewing machine toy includes a plastic housing which may be molded into two halves with each half including one half of the base plate, sewing machine head and post. A horizontal shaft includes a crank on one end and a driving disc on the other end and is rotatably mounted in the housing. An electric motor is mounted in the housing and includes a vertical output shaft which carries a friction drive engaging one face of the disc on the horizontal shaft for imparting rotation thereto. The crank on the horizontal shaft rides in a transverse slot which is provided in a simulated, flat plastic needle having a blunt tip.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of use, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be undersood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a simulated sewing machine toy constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a partial, enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawing, a simulated sewing machine toy constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, generally designated includes a two-piece housing 12 having a front half 14 and a rear half 16 each molded in one piece from a suitable plastic material, such as a styrene monomer or an acetal resin.

The housing half 16 is shown in FIG. 2 and includes an integral base plate 18, post 20 and a simulated sewing machine head 22.

Post 20 is provided with a motor chamber 24 formed by an upper horizontal partition 26 and the head portion 28 of base plate 18. Openings 30, 32 are provided in partition 26 and base plate 18, respectively, for receiving the head collar 34 and the rear thrust bearing 36, respectively, on an electric motor 38 having a vertically disposed output shaft 40 to which a resilient sleeve 42 is affixed for rotation therewith.

Housing half 16 includes a vertical end wall 44 and vertical interior walls 46, 48 each of which is provided with an integrally molded, U-shaped journal 50 (FIGS. 2 and 4) in which a horizontal shaft 52 is rotatably mounted. Shaft 52 is retained in journals 50 by matching vertical walls provided on housing half 14, as shown at 54 in FIG. 4 for vertical interior wall 56.

Shaft 52 includes a first end 58 which carries a crank 60 working in a transverse slot 62 provided in a cross bar portion 64 on a simulated, flat plastic needle 66 having a blunt tip 68 and being reciprocally mounted, as indicated by arrow 70 (FIG. 3) in an upper slot 72 and a lower slot 74 provided in head 22. Shaft 52 also includes a second end 76 which carries a wheel 78,

which is mounted outside housing 12 for simulating a conventional sewing machine wheel, and a first disc 80, which is mounted inside housing 12 adjacent wall 44 and. serves as a thrust bearing, and a second disc 82 having a face 84 drivingly engaged by resilient sleeve 42 on motor output shaft 40. A cruciform-shaped reinforcing member 86 joins discs and 82 together and is formed integrally with shaft 82, crank 60, wheel 78,

and discs 80, 82 during a molding operation where shaft 52 is formed from a suitable plastic material, such as acetal homopolymer.

Housing half 16 is provided with a simulated spoolreceiving spindle 88 formed integrally with top wall portion 90 of housing half 16 during the aforesaid molding operation.

Joining together of housing halves I4, 16 is facilitated by suitable lap joints, such as those shown at 92 on housing half 16, locating pins 94, which are provided on housing half 14 and which engage suitable apertures 96 provided in housing half 16, and gripper pins 98, which are provided on housing half 14 and which engage apertures 100 provided on housing half 16 Foam rubber pads, such as those shown at 102, 104 for housing half 16, may be provided at each corner at the bottom of housing 12 to minimize creeping of toy 10 when motor 38 is energized by connecting its electrical cord 106 to a suitable low-voltage electrical source such, for example, as the source shown in copending application, Ser. No. 145,682, filed May 21, 1971, and incorporated herein by reference. Electrical cord 106 carries a male plug 108 (FIG. 1) for plugging toy 10 into this low-voltage source.

While this particular simulated sewing machine toy herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown and described other than as defined in the appended claims, which form a part of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:

1. A simulated sewing machine toy, comprising:

housing means defining a base and a simulated sewing machine head above and spaced from said base;

a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in said head,

said shaft including an offset crank and a disc;

a simulated, plastic, flat needle reciprocally mounted in one end of said head for vertical reciprocation, said needle having a transverse crank slot, said crank being mounted in working engagement with said crank slot for reciprocating said needle when said shaft is rotated;

motor means mounted in said housing, said motor means having an output shaft means frictionally drivingly engaging said disc;

said housing including a hollow post supporting said head and said motor being an electric motor in said post and said output shaft means being mounted vertically in frictional engagement with a flat face on said disc.

2. A simulated sewing machine toy, comprising:

a housing, said housing including a front housing half and a rear housing half, each of said housing halves being molded from a suitable plastic material and including a unitary horizontal base, an L-shaped portion having a head extending over and spaced from said base substantially parallel thereto and including a depending enlargement on its free end, locating pins, gripping pins, lap joints connecting said housing halves together and slots provided in the top and bottom walls of said enlargement of said L-shaped portion and a horizontal partition having an aperture provided therein;

an electric motor mounted in said housing and including a vertical output shaft having a friction member extending through said aperture in said horizontal partition; v

a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, said shaft being molded from a suitable plastic material and including a unitary offset crank and a disc having a front face and a rear face, said output shaft friction member engaging one of said faces on said disc for imparting rotation thereto; and

a simulated, flat plastic needle reciprocally mounted in said slots in said enlargement and including a transverse slot embracing said crank. 

1. A simulated sewing machine toy, comprising: housing means defining a base and a simulated sewing machine head above and spaced from said base; a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in said head, said shaft including an offset crank and a disc; a simulated, plastic, flat needle reciprocally mounted in one end of said head for vertical reciprocation, said needle having a transverse crank slot, said crank being mounted in working engagement with said crank slot for reciprocating said needle when said shaft is rotated; motor means mounted in said housing, said motor means having an output shaft means frictionally drivingly engaging said disc; said housing including a hollow post supporting said head and said motor being an electric motor in said post and said output Shaft means being mounted vertically in frictional engagement with a flat face on said disc.
 2. A simulated sewing machine toy, comprising: a housing, said housing including a front housing half and a rear housing half, each of said housing halves being molded from a suitable plastic material and including a unitary horizontal base, an L-shaped portion having a head extending over and spaced from said base substantially parallel thereto and including a depending enlargement on its free end, locating pins, gripping pins, lap joints connecting said housing halves together and slots provided in the top and bottom walls of said enlargement of said L-shaped portion and a horizontal partition having an aperture provided therein; an electric motor mounted in said housing and including a vertical output shaft having a friction member extending through said aperture in said horizontal partition; a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, said shaft being molded from a suitable plastic material and including a unitary offset crank and a disc having a front face and a rear face, said output shaft friction member engaging one of said faces on said disc for imparting rotation thereto; and a simulated, flat plastic needle reciprocally mounted in said slots in said enlargement and including a transverse slot embracing said crank. 